Passion for evidence. Partners for good.
LEO’s turned 10! And a decade of research has given us much to celebrate and share—starting with the partnerships that make our work possible.
We asked our researchers to nominate 10 LEO partners—some of poverty’s fiercest adversaries—to be recognized for their commitment to building and using evidence. Now, we’re sharing the work of these partners with a broad audience through a series of videos highlighting them and their courage to engage in research. Watch and share these videos on our social media platforms.
Research does take courage, and a lot of hard work. We’re giving the floor to some of our provider partners in various stages of the research process, inviting them to share what they have learned through the research process in a “how-to” blog series. Topics range from “how do you know you’re ready for research?” to “how have you used your results?” At LEO, we’re just as committed to sharing what we’ve learned as we are to the learning itself. So we’re excited to use these blog posts to share our partners’ expertise with other service providers who may be considering research for themselves. Read and share these blog posts at leo.nd.edu.
Many of our partners have found that they don’t want to stop with just one research project. Once they see the difference that having evidence of their impact makes, they want to study more and more! So we are leveraging our network of partners to ask for referrals and encourage them to consider their next project with LEO, because one success can unleash thousands more.
LEO began its 10th year with more than 80 developing, active, and completed research projects, all lighting the way to learning what works to reduce poverty in America. What’s coming up?
Next April, we’ll launch our next cohort of research projects with 10 service provider partners from across the nation. We are recruiting partners to join this cohort now, and are especially looking for partners who want to test strategies to increase the frequency that people say “yes” to their services. This cohort will kick off with a workshop in April 2023, where cohort partners will come together for a time of learning about impact evaluations, how to create a culture of evidence-building at their organizations, and the elements of research design. From there, they will spend 16 weeks working with their LEO research team to design their research study. This design phase will culminate in a second workshop in August 2023 where cohort partners will present their research designs to an audience of other service providers, academics, philanthropists, and other poverty-fighters. From there, their projects will launch and the evidence building will begin!
Early 2024 will take us to Texas with a cohort of eight provider partners in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex focused specifically on promoting self-sufficiency. One of LEO’s first projects was an evaluation of a community college intervention at Catholic Charities Fort Worth. From this one project in 2012, LEO has grown to a portfolio of 10 developing, active, and completed studies in the DFW area.
Why are we continuing to focus research here? The poverty rate in DFW has only grown since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. DFW families living in poverty deserve interventions that work. We are committed to building more evidence around promising local poverty interventions, and to sharing our discoveries on what is working to move Texas families permanently out of poverty.
The DFW cohort will kick off with an initial workshop in April 2024 and a second workshop marking the end of the research design phase in August 2024.
Service providers interested in learning more about research with LEO or applying for a cohort can contact Fran Gallagher at fkgallagher@nd.edu.